World's Easiest Interchangeable Bat System

I've been meaning to post this for a while and just got around to doing it.

This is a really easy system and works well. It's easy to re-position the pot later too, if needed.

Here's what you will need:

Creative Industries plastic square bat (about $7)
Vinyl screen molding (Home Depot - $6 for 12 feet, so there is plenty to share with friends)
PVC Cement (It's about $2 and also is plenty to share with friends)
Pruning shears
Several 6" ceramic floor tiles. They actually measure about 5 3/4", (Mine were about 59 cents each at Lowe's) Buy lots of tiles at the same time, so you can be sure they are all the same size.

Cut the screen molding with the pruning shears. I cut two pieces at 4" and two at 3 1/4".
Place the tile on the bat and position it with the molding pieces so it is in the center. I just eye-balled it.
Glue the molding pieces down using the pvc cement, so the molding is snug up against the tile.
Try not to get the cement under the tile.
Let it dry.

To use, just install the bat on the bat pins, and insert a tile. Throw the pot on the tile and remove it. If it doesn't come up easily you can use a putty knife under one of the exposed corners. Put in a new tile, repeat.

That's it.

I did this several years ago with concrete pavers and they really chewed up my pinky finger from centering. Glazed tiles are much better.

An unfinished terra cotta tile might work well; it would absorb moisture from the bottom . . . much like plaster. Or, set up a mold and make small plaster tiles that could be put in the frame.

I love this project idea, what a good one, I will be sharing this

I use the unglazed tiles, and they have the advantage of absorbing the moisture. But you do need to watch not to file your ring finger nail OFF, very easy to do and not realize it. I set them on a rack as soon as I take them off the wheel so they can dry from the bottom as well. When they are dry enough, they will release from the tile with a very smooth bottom. Just don't wire them off after throwing.When they come off just run your thumb around the edge and sign ! Remember to put a nice edge on the base when throwing, and no trimming is needed. If using the glazed tiles, do you wire and remove the piece when firm enough?

An unfinished terra cotta tile might work well; it would absorb moisture from the bottom . . . much like plaster. Or, set up a mold and make small plaster tiles that could be put in the frame.

I love this project idea, what a good one, I will be sharing this

I use the unglazed tiles, and they have the advantage of absorbing the moisture. But you do need to watch not to file your ring finger nail OFF, very easy to do and not realize it. I set them on a rack as soon as I take them off the wheel so they can dry from the bottom as well. When they are dry enough, they will release from the tile with a very smooth bottom. Just don't wire them off after throwing.When they come off just run your thumb around the edge and sign ! Remember to put a nice edge on the base when throwing, and no trimming is needed. If using the glazed tiles, do you wire and remove the piece when firm enough?

Personally, I rarely use bats for most anything, including plates up to "dinner plate" size. I just pick stuff up off the wheelhead. But I throw dry... so that helps a lot. (Try it , you'll like it.....after the "learning curve" .)

I make a lot of very large bowls...... thrown to 26" dia. at the top distal rim....... and for those I ALWAYS use bats for the original throwing. I use really large bats most of the time for trimming them too.... but sometimes just use a clay chuck holding them up off the standard wheelhead.

This looks like a nice idea if you find you need bats for smaller things and stuff where every minute detail of the surface needs to be tightly controlled though.

best,

..............john

John BaymoreImmediate Past President; Potters CouncilProfessor of Ceramics; New Hampshire Insitute of Art

I bought some Set Stone to use for bats in my classroom. It works well, but the projects seem to release a bit, if you cover and come back to work on them the next day. And this is odd, as if you let them sit a couple days, they don't release completely at all.